I am also in the western suburbs of Chicago. Elms just don't last around here. DED is bad.

I met a woman at a local nursery here who said that she did a trial on these many years ago when she was teaching horticulture at Michigan and the ones that she gave to her parents are doing great. I don't know...I really want to try but I just don't have a huge tolerance for disappointment when it comes to this particular spot. It needs to screen and shade and will leave my yard with quite a hole if it doesn't make it.

I bought one from the Botany Shop around 5 years ago and planted it at my church. The plant was around 4 feet tall when I got it and now its about 15-20 feet tall. In the past 2 years it has really taken off growth-wise. It has a strong central leader with somewhat narrow branching but that could be due to shade from a nearby oak. Here in PA DED was bad....literally no elms around at all.........yet this tree continues to thrive. By the way they planted a bunch of these Princeton elms around the White House.

i would NOT be planting.. a leafed out.. mail order tree ... in july or august in my adrian MI .. which is due east of you about 200 miles ..

its just too hot and unforgiving for a leafed tree .. in the midwest ... PNWest peeps dont care .. with there 75 degree heat waves.. lol ... and 900 inches of rain ....

i would have ordered it for fall delivery ...

or i would up pot it .. and put it in full shade until about sept ...
pot in shade.. dont care if the tree is ...

just because you buy it.. and want it.. doesnt mean it the proper planting season ...

and dont forget about hardening it off.. if it was greenhouse grown ... you cant slap such in full sun ... ask BShop if its an issue ...

see link on proper planting ...

there is little instant gratification in planting trees.. waiting a couple months means nothing ... other than it living .. without severe stresses

ken

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

Ken-- we have had 900 inches of rain this spring. A lot of my spring planted-plants are really struggling. In fact, I am replacing a tree that was planted (correctly) in spring and couldn't establish before it started raining inches and inches per week. But I hear you-- I will consider potting it until September. Though, our Septembers can be very hot and dry. It is a very small tree.

Here in the Midwest if we have a very severe winter (even in zone 5 we can reach zone 4a or 4b temps occasionally) Princeton will suffer moderate to extensive damage as it lacks sufficient cold hardiness for an American Elm.

The main problem with American Elm selections here (beyond hardiness) is branch structure and heavy feeding by Japanese Beetles. Princeton, known for its upright arching habit, has poor branch structure that needs to be managed when it is young. I'm not sure it will do well for you in the long-run, particularly if you are in an area that has 50+ MPH straight line winds every couple of years.

Newer selections such as Prairie Expedition and Colonial Spirit have stated that they have better branch structure both in their youth and maturity. Time will tell.

Catherine, while our esteemed friend Ken really knows his stuff, I am constantly forced to remind readers that the very reason for the existence of potted and B&B nursery stock is to extend the growing season, from that of bare-root stock-literally, the period of dormancy-to most any time during the growing season that the soil is workable. Leaving the poor thing in a pot all summer is not kind. Plant it, and put it out of its misery!

+oM

While I know next to nothing about Chicago I can say that the forecast for my area is 96 degrees F today. Someone please tell me that Botany Shop is not shipping live plant material at this time.

We do have a wind problem where I am-- in fact, the tree (a Norwegian Sunset Maple) that I am replacing was not able to establish because of the rain, but it was first weakened by the ripping winds this spring. It was a tough spring for me to have planted 40 plants. Drat.

So what tree is going to give me a nice fall display, decently fast grower, doesn't leaf out late (no Skyline Honeylocust) and can truly handle poor draining, compacted alkaline clay soil? I think I'm only left with the dreaded Autumn Blaze Maple--

I don't need something huge, but I don't want to look at a sapling the entire time I live in this house. I'm already 40!

I know you already ordered it, but at my spot, Chinese elm is the only option. The 'Valley Forge' elm I tried died quickly from elm yellows.

Chinese elm is as fast as Amer elm -- below after 10 seasons:

beng, along those lines, does Princeton offer any protection against elm yellows? I read somewhere that that was why it was originally selected as a cultivar, but can't find any follow up documentation.

BTW, I have a Valley Forge that is fighting off DED right now, but I have heard it has no resistance to EY, and EY is not here (yet).

Agree with +oM that it's easier to get the thing in the dirt right away and not mess with an intermediate potting phase, where you may screw something up. I have ironically had some of my best luck with trees planted outside of the recommended times. If your selection is known as being a vigorous tree and is not too big, you will have a good chance of success with a summer planting if you keep it well watered.

I researched the latest elm varieties a few months ago and came to the conclusion that it is still too soon to say for sure, as some pointed out above. Does not look like any of the established varieties are slam-dunks. The Asian elms I have seen are just not as attractive as the American. There is another wave of new varieties hitting the market right now. If you are looking for low-risk in a high profile spot, you may want to look beyond elms.

With all of the oak hybrids and cultivars out there, I think you can find something from that group that is superior to a red maple. Of my 15 or so newly planted trees, my swamp white oak has easily been the most vigorous, even though many references consider it a slow grower. Has a nice orange-tan fall color. There are a ton of swamp white hybrids out there now that target specific shape and color. Next in line would be nuttall oak (New Madrid) and katsura tree. The Nuttall coloring in both spring and fall is very cool. A lot of oaks out there are not all that sensitive to alkaline soil and many are both dry and wet tolerant, so I think you could find something in that pool that would meet your needs.

If Princeton doesn't work for you, Bailey Nurseries released U. americana 'St Croix', which was found in Afton, MN. Hardiness will not be an issue with this one.

I had my eye on a Katsura tree! The fall color is to die for. But don't they like acid soils? I don't believe that I have seen too many Katsura trees growing around here. Gah. I wish this decision wasn't so permanent! ha! This will be THE MAIN TREE in my back yard. I have a Frontier Elm, a Baby Blue Eyes spruce, a Black Hills spruce, a Green Giant arb, three Rushmore arbs and a Nannyberry back there, but this is the spot that I reserved for the tree that will shade my deck and be the main thing that I see when I look outside my patio doors.

I really wanted something to shade hosta in 10+ years too, which isn't a Maple. An Oak fits that bill, but the mature size will overwhelm my yard. I'll be long dead though. ha.

perhaps a dawn redwood.....

I live in zone 5a and have had no problems with the Princeton Elms planted in my yard and my neighbors yard. We had a really cold zone 4 winter the last two years and it didn't seem to negatively impact them one bit. I believe Princeton's are hardy to zone 3, which is well below other Ulmus Americana cultivators.

I have seen references to them being resistant to Elm Yellow's but I think that's overstated as they definitely can get it if they are in your area. - See link. http://bygl.osu.edu/content/elm-yellows-0

I recently checked with the local extension office and found out that elm yellows are indeed prevalent in Michigan as well (the old maps online will not show this, and it has spread since they were last updated) however they are typically localized. I really would look at Triumph and Accolade as they do have similar characteristics and grow fast while have the additional Elm Yellow resistance.

In terms of planting them in this warm summer weather I really wouldn't be too worried. Although not ideal, it will do just fine being this small. I ordered a 2 or 3 gallon Jefferson Elm tree last summer from the same supplier as you and it arrived in August (I wanted a smaller one but they didn't have them in 1 gallon). The temperature must have been around 90 at that time and to make matters worse the roots were in awful shape (see pics below). I figured what the heck and severely pruned off the main circling root and then proceeded to really loosen up the surrounding roots and spread them out and plant it even though they did provide me with a replacement at no cost. it easily lost 40% + of the roots it arrived with by the time I was finished. While the tree changed color and lost it's leaves early, it came back great this Spring and has already put on a lot of new growth.

I think the small size has everything to do with it and you should expect to see (next year) 3-6 foot per year on a Princeton variety.

If you do decide to plant it out, my advice is to really make sure to get rid of any circling roots, if you don't you will have a mess on your hands 2 or 3 years down the road since they do not use root pruning pots and elms grow incredibly fast which sets the stage for trouble if not corrected.

I have attached some pictures for reference...

Good luck!

State Street Maple is another good one that has really pretty yellow fall color and grows rather quickly in poor conditions. Very common throughout the Morton Arboretum in IL, so would work well in our climate and shouldn't be too hard to locate.

8/6/2014 - Pre and Post Sever Root Pruning

8/17/2014 - Color started to turn yellowish pretty soon after, but kept watered and leaves hung on for about another month.

6/11/2015 - Tree has had zero die back and is looking really good with lots of new growth and very nice dark green color. Establishing new leader, which has grown about 12 inches already.

Your best bet for poorly draining akaline soil with fast growth and good reliable fall color is a Freeman maple. Autumn Blaze is an outdated cultivar. Autumn Fantasy is a far superior cultivar with symmetrical branching, good branch angles and a strong central leader.

Firefall would be the second best Freeman maple on the market. Not quite as wide and reliable at maintaining a central leader though.

Quercus x schuettei is another option. Its a hybrid of Burr and Swamp oak so it has the fast growth, fall color and poor drainage of the Swamp Oak and alkaline tolerance of the Burr.

As for planting potted plants during the growing season you just have to exercise common sense. Is the plant very root bound and require root surgery? Are you planting in full exposure to wind or sun? Then the critical point is the genus/species. Many maples are very tolerant to root pruning after they have leafed out. I picked up a picture perfect Paperbark Maple late May that came from out west. It had a large root that went directly up and I couldn't bend it down. I just cut the thing off. Tree is perfectly fine after a month now. Something like a beech or oak...not so much. If you do carry it over be sure to pot it up and the root mass will loosen up and will retain moisture better.

"I really would look at Triumph and Accolade as they do have similar characteristics and grow fast while have the additional Elm Yellow resistance."

I agree with that. I've seen the original Accolade at Morton Arb that was planted in the 1920's. it rivals the American Elm for grandeur. Maybe not quite as nice, but darn close. I suspect you've already been there, but if you haven't seen the Morton Arb yet, you've got a great experience awaiting you.

Well then, +3 on 'Accolade'. I'm thinking 'Triumph' may well be as good, but the ones I've seen are too new to be sure. But that 'Accolade' is one handsome elm tree. I don't believe any Asian hybrid elm matches up to American elm for sheer grandeur, but 'Accolade' has its own vibe, and its a good one.

I too like the Scheuttes oak that was mentioned above. Living where I do, I get to see the original trees everyday from which that naturally-occurring hybrid was derived and described, it being a Wisconsin thing. Simply outstanding oaks, as are straight swamp whites. And like was said above, these are simply not slow-growing trees, these SW and Scheuttes oaks. Actually quite vigorous.

+oM

corkball, AFAIK, none of the DED-resistant elms have been selected for elm yellows resistance -- all efforts were for DED. Elm yellows isn't as widespread as DED, but where it occurs, it is as deadly as DED. How you could tell if elm yellows is in your area, I don't know unless it's rampant & obvious like on my lot (due to all the Siberian/slippery elm hybrids that carry/transmit it).

Only try the katsura out if you'll stay on top of watering the first 2 years. I have similar soil and I'm guessing a slightly harsher climate than you (eastern KS) and have one that's been in the ground about a year. It's thriving, but only because I've been super diligent on watering. Worse than birch on water demands, IMO. If I'd just left it to the sprinkler with no deep watering it'd be a goner. Btw- katsura does just fine in non-acidic soils. They just say it fall colors slightly better on acidic sites.

Considered ginkgo maybe?

Maybe it's just something about our conditions here, but gingko has tended to be on the slow-growing side. Great trees otherwise. I think OP desires relatively fast growth.

+oM

Wow, I am so, so thankful to all of you! A tree is a major decsion in my opinion. It is very permanent, and potentially very costly if you make a wrong choice, above and beyond the cost of the tree itself, which is minimal compared to something falling on your house later on!

We have decided on a Firefall Maple for my high-profile spot, and an Eye Stopper Cork Tree for another spot in the back yard. It should be quite the fall show!

As far as the Princeton Elm goes-- my husband wants to try it in the front yard, but I really don't want to have to remove it in 10 years because it succummed to one of the many diseases it is susceptible to...such a shame though. In my lifetime, I will never experience a real American Elm. Boo.

If anyone is playing along-- we decided not to do the Miyabe "State Street" Maple because evidently, the fall show is very short. We decided not to do an Oak Tree because my neighbors are potentially crazy and I am worried about them complaining about acorns in 10 years (this tree will be planted 10' into my property line, so it will hang over their back yard some, eventually).

As far as the Accolade and Trimuph go-- my neighbor has one of those two in his parkway, so I feel like I already have one!

We are going to cut our losses with our Frontier Elm because the graft is very bad (from NatureHills...it is literally stuck on the root stock at a 90 degree angle and the root stock tree is a stump next to it, gah!) and I think it will eventually break at that weak point. Not to mention, it is brand new and already being eaten alive by beetles.

So my goal of a red, yellow and orange fall display is satisfied by a Firefall, Eye Stopper Corktree and my nannyberry, respectively. Done and done.

I will post pictures once it's done! :)

Cath, nice to learn that your neighbors are only "potentially" crazy! Just messing with you-good luck with your new trees!

+oM

4 years ago I planted a row of 9 Princeton Elms in my front yard in the Cleveland ohio area, They are all doing exceptionally well. Now all are at the 20-25 ft mark. The only drawback is spraying sevin spray to control the Japanese Beetles every year. Not sure how to handle them in the coming years.

This Bayer Product works very well and lasts a year (I treat early spring and keeps the Japanese Beetles under control). They are really bad where I live and this keeps the damage to a minimal.

https://www.bayeradvanced.com/find-a-product/tree-shrub-care/12-month-tree-shrub-protect-feed-ii

You can also purchase the active ingredient and treat for much less (this would save you a lot of money since you have so many of them and they are growing fast!

Here's a link to a generic product, there are likely many similar ones out there

http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/imidapro-2sc-p-2753.html

Good luck!

Steve

As such, it's too bad this and all products containing imidacloprid will likely be on the ban wagon-pun intended-before too long. See my rants elsewhere on this board, about people doing real stupid stuff with string, systemic insecticides and other people with very incomplete fact sets doing equally dumb stuff to get useful materials banned. Sad situation, and the currant mood of the citizenry, all anti-expert and mistrusting, is not helping one bit. Get it while you can.

I've noticed that nothing gets this forum fired up quite like an American Elm thread.

Question about the Accolade Elm - How hardy and does it tolerate alkaline soil?

They are said to do very well in Alkaline soil. I have had no trouble with mine in Michigan clay which has a PH higher than 7.

Same here-circum-neutral soils high in clay content....no issues whatsoever. If anything, the foliage just gleams. Just got to watch the lingo a bit: So, a pH just a bit above neutral (pH of 7) is by definition slightly alkaline. But somebody reading this thread in the high deserts, where soil pHs are much higher, could get fooled into thinking this elm is their answer. I tend to doubt it, and not just due to the inherent dryness. As pH goes above 8, nutrients become extremely difficult for any but the most well-adapted plant species (adapted to the desert) to survive and thrive. Neutral soils, or those in a range from around 6.5 to perhaps 8.0, do support a very large range of plants. But on the high side, you're going to run into trouble much past that 8.0.

Thanks, Tom. Better not take a chance then. Accolade elms are expensive and I'd hate to waste the time and money.

I forget Lane-do you know roughly what pH range your soil is in? I don't want to discourage anyone from a really handsome tree.

I did a self test and it was over 8. I know that's not an ideal way of doing it, but I can say that it's over 8 for sure. There's lots of limestone cobble/rock throughout the soil.